Therapist Cheryl  Blossom Photo

Cheryl Blossom, LCSW

Stress, Anxiety Addictions Trauma, Abuse Depression Coping with life changes
Video Phone Live Chat Messaging

About me

I remember that I was in the 8th grade when I became interested in human behavior. During the summer between 8th and 9th grade my father asked me if I wanted to start reading books which described varying diagnoses. Leave it up to A. Howard Bell, PhD to hand me the book SYBIL to read and discuss. That was all it took, I was hooked. All summer long I read other books which were fiction and non-fiction regarding varying diagnoses and how that person coped to social problems and the effects on one's individual psyche.

As I was the daughter of a Clinical Psychologist, many other experiences were different from those who grow up in homes without a PhD in Clinical Psychology at the Helm. Not only did I read voraciously about Psychology, but I also learned information not normally given to a teen. My father was first and foremost a Rogerian Psychologist and as such decided that it would behoove me to have an understanding of Humanistic Psychotherapy before I went off to college; he was aware that Psychology had begun leaning from Psychoanalytic to Behaviorism and the " THIRD FORCE" or HUMANISM was not focused upon in the same way.

My father's influence upon me gave me my beginnings as a clinician: THE RELATIONSHIP and HOW OTHERS CAN OR CANNOT RELATE TO THE THERAPIST dictated the rest of the healing process. Both Psychoanalytic and Behavioral schools at that time taught the need to stay more distanced from the Client than that of the Humanistic therapist. I even knew the why behind the therapist styles. I won't give you a lecture here as to the why of each; I would like you to read to the end of my introduction! Dad had hoped I would leave for college knowing information which might not be stressed in my college courses. As it turns out, he was correct, except for the class taught by Dr. Timmons, PSYCHOLOGY OF NORMAL BEHAVIOR. This was one of most popular classes on the LSU campus and Dr. Timmons was voted favorite "favorite professor" two out of the five years I attended classes there.

I attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA because my father was conferred his doctorate there and my older brother had also chosen to attend school there. I studied what was studied then in Psychology: Emotion and Motivation, Sensation and Perception, Learning Theory, and Abnormal Psychology were a few of the courses I took. I was a research assistant for the Professor Emeritus, A.J. Riopelle, PhD; I worked in his lab studying social behavior of chimpanzees. At the time, I seemed less drawn to the Neurological basis of behavior as I was the Sociological. After receiving my BS in Psychology, I went on to graduate School at Tulane University School of Social Work In New Orleans, LA. I excelled there as I had found my niche. Understanding the person in their environment has been how I have conducted my Psychotherapy since Graduate School.

I am very fortunate to have studied with those in the field of Trauma who have been on the cutting edge of research since I was in Graduate School. Trauma and Trauma therapy was just in its infancy at that time. I continued to study and plan to continue receiving certifications in my areas of interest. One of my characteristics as a clinician is that I have been a voracious reader. You may love or hate that about me.

What I began learning was that traumatic experiences are processed in the brain differently than non-traumatic ones. As I grew more and more interested in Trauma treatment, I realized the invaluable information learned as an undergraduate student at LSU. Talk therapies assist in creating the relationship necessary to delve into the LIMBIC or Middle Brain; the LIMBIC BRAIN holds the trauma.

“Does my situation count as a traumatic one?” you might ask. If it happened to you, you cannot let it go, and it has changed you forever, it can be seen as traumatic. There are questionnaires which assist me in quantifying the level of trauma to you, therefore helping us create the best treatment plan for you. The latest example I can think of is COVID. COVID has brought up direct and indirect loss for each person in the last 18 months. Other examples can include difficulties during childhood and adolescence with not only abuse and neglect but also friendships and other romantic and platonic relationships. Moving a lot can be hard on a child and one effect can be carried into adulthood as a generalized fear of change. Trauma can come in the form of dangerous weather creating a totally new life situation. Many today are concerned about our climate change and what that will mean for ourselves and for generations to come. It is quite traumatic for someone to grow up "different" from one's peer group. This "difference" can come in the form of race, religion, body type, intelligence level, personality style, etc. What I learned early on from Dad was that I did not have to be exactly like you or have had your particular circumstances in my life to be of service to you. This knowledge has assisted me when a therapist in Louisiana, Mississippi, and New Mexico. It is in the narrative of our lives that we can compare and contrast experiences.

Finally, another characteristic about myself is that if you choose me as your therapist, you will also find that many of my experiences growing up did NOT match that of other children whose parents were in the helping professions and it was healing from those very experiences which have made me an exceptional clinician. I was not given a perfect childhood but I was given the tools early on in which what has become a life-long process of personal growth and change. What you are aware of as "the problem" and what might be an underlying problem is what we will discover during our walk together down this path called healing.



Professional experience

35yrs in practice
Stress, Anxiety Addictions Trauma, Abuse Depression Coping with life changes

Additional areas of focus: LGBT, Relationship issues, Family conflicts, Grief, Intimacy-related issues, Eating disorders, Sleeping disorders, Parenting issues, Anger management, Self esteem, Career difficulties, Bipolar disorder, Coaching, Compassion fatigue, ADHD, Abandonment, Adoption and Foster Care, Attachment issues, Autism and Asperger Syndrome, Avoidant Personality, BDSM, Kink, Alternative Sex Culture, Blended Family Issues, Body image, Cancer, Caregiver issues and stress, Chronic pain illness and disability, Co-morbidity, Communication problems, Control issues, Coping with Natural or Human-Caused Disaster, Dependent Personality, Dissociation, Divorce and separation, Domestic Violence, Drug and Alcohol Addiction, Eating and Food-Related Issues, Emptiness, Family of Origin Issues, Family Problems, First Responder Issues, Forgiveness, Gender Dysphoria, Guilt and shame, HIV / AIDS, Hospice and End of Life Counseling, Immigration Issues, Infidelity, Isolation / loneliness, Life purpose, Midlife crisis, Military and Veterans Issues, Mood disorders , Multicultural Concerns, Obsessions, Compulsions, and OCD, Panic disorder and panic attacks, Paranoia, Personality Disorders, Phobias, Polyamory / Nonmonogamous Relationships, Postpartum Depression, Post-traumatic stress, Pregnancy and childbirth, Prejudice and Discrimination, Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling), Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Self-love, Sexual Assault and Abuse, Sexuality, Social anxiety and phobia, Somatization, Women's issues, Young Adult Issues

Clinical approaches: Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), Existential Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Hypnotherapy, Imago Relationship Therapy, Jungian Therapy, Mindfulness Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Somatic Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy

Services offered

Video
Phone
Live Chat
Messaging

License information

NM LCSW C-3495

Reviews

These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Cheryl Blossom. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.

She listens intently, and then reiterates what was said. We are still working on expectations.

Written on Feb 21, 2023 after therapy with Cheryl for 2 weeks

She is fantastic! I feel that I can be a bit extreme and that who I am and what I say will cause her to move on from me. But she is still here, listening to me.

Written on Jan 31, 2023 after therapy with Cheryl for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, lgbt, eating disorders, and self esteem

Cheryl was very attentive and patient with my 13 yr old. We're very pleased with his progress, he has developed great coping skills.

Written on Nov 22, 2022 after therapy with Cheryl for 5 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, and career difficulties

Cheryl is a wonderful therapist with a heart of gold. Her style of therapy reminds me of the kindly older teachers I had growing up who would notice and care for me when no one else would. Her therapy style isn't for everyone, that being said if it is for you then you will grow immensly

Written on Nov 15, 2022 after therapy with Cheryl for 5 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, self esteem, and adhd

Cheryl is great!

Written on Aug 26, 2022 after therapy with Cheryl for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, bipolar disorder, coping with life changes, coaching, compassion fatigue, and adhd

Cheryl was able to get on my level and communicate in a way that felt personal, and she really does care enough about her people she connects with them.

Written on Jun 29, 2022 after therapy with Cheryl for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, addictions, relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, eating disorders, sleeping disorders, self esteem, career difficulties, and adhd